Burlseque Brunch: Down the Rabbit Hole
Article by Artemis Seven, photography by Daniel Evans
If you’re going to go down the rabbit hole, there’s no better time than 11am on a Sunday. Time may just be a construct, but so is brunch, and the last time I got a side of boob with the concept of linear time I was too young to know a darker time was coming.
Burlesque Brunch answers the existential question:
“I suppose I ought to eat or drink something or other; but the great question is ‘What?’( —Chapter 4, The Rabbit Sends in a Little Bill) & with a mimosa or OJ on arrival, a delicious High Tea courtesy of Capital Roast and a range of entertainment from performances to games -you will be free of that choice. As someone who panics and invariably parks across two spots if there’s more than one car spot available (don’t worry, I fix it you sneaky narc) I appreciate a beautiful display of High Tea sweets on each table, and distractions on stage for me to weasel away 6 of the same one when no one is looking.
PS. Dietary requirements can be allocated for!
Let me speak to you about the food - an arguably vital part of brunch. The selection of sweet treats appeared straight out of a Wonderland garden party . Macarons are a crowd favourite, but my favourite was the tiny cheesecakes. Perhaps miniature cheesecakes are normal high tea fare but I chose to imagine I was Alice having made the mistake of growing too large just before a dinner party.
Let me give you another pro social tip - nestled in Flazeda Hub, it’s the perfect outing to mix your extroverted & introverted mates - whether you’re looking forward to your conversation being interrupted by dancing or your dancing being interrupted by conversation - you will get your wish. There are no losers at Burlesque Brunch - just winners suddenly assailed by glitz, glamour, flesh and absurdity. Plus, there’s a feather tree in the corner so you’re guaranteed to leave with a set of selfies that say “I’m busier being less busy than you”, which is the ultimate flex in these trying times.
It’s also a perfect opportunity to invite your burlesque-virgin mate or family member with optimal time to coach them in between acts. There’s bingo, song snippet games, trivia - and if you find it awakens something within you there’s a full roster of dance classes right there at Flazeda Hub. It’s time to convert your Grandma into a Grandmilf, and Flazeda can help you*
And of course whether you like your poison poisonous or virginal, Bastian behind the bar knows how to whip up the kind of drink that had me internally screaming like Rebelle’s Red Queen “DWINK DWINK”. Instead, I went for a gin and tonic which I requested as an “angry drunk water” because I am a brat who routinely replaces vocabulary in my own head to feel a sense of power (I’m too shy to jaywalk, so I need this power trip). Bastian understood my request, which is a testament once again to their Bar Butch glory.
Now, let us discuss the acts -
CHESHIRE CAT
Rebelle Velveteen began as Alice - bouncy and cute and adorable and surrounded in a halo of blonde curls, and giving in to a giant piece of cake, the 2nd thing on the stage screaming “Eat me”. Transforming into the Cheshire cat upon snacking, she had us all on board for a day of brunching in Wonderland. Cheeky and enlivening, it was the perfect start to the day and made us all weirdly attracted to the Cheshire cat.
TIME FOR TEA
As is customary at a Burlesque Brunch, tea was spilled, from a giant teabag onto Jazida herself. Frankly, we all could’ve used a shower after watching Jazida balance a full cup of tea - ON HER HEAD- all while remaining entirely graceful. It was a bitter pill to swallow as someone who manages to spill any hot beverage placed in my hands but if a bitter pill comes with a side of tassel twirling I’ll take it no questions asked. Bonus backstage moment - Jazida did not have a towel backstage and so ended up tea-staining a white sheet to get dry like some kind of dramatic Grecian goddess.
THE MARCH HARE
Then it was my turn - The March Hare. The March Hare knows how to brunch, as evidenced by their philosophy of setting the bar low and setting your indulgence levels high :
“"Take some more tea," the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly. "I've had nothing yet," Alice replied in an offended tone, "so I can't take more." "You mean you can't take less," said the Hatter: "It's very easy to take more than nothing." — (1865 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, ch.7)
And take more than nothing I did, stealing away a plate of treats during my act as an “offering” to the March Hare, unofficial brunch deity. My thievery aside - with a trap remix, scythe arms and a hare’s head that steals your soul through it’s eyeballs - it was an important reminder that brunch is SERIOUS BUSINESS.
LYRA
Jazida then took us through the rabbit hole itself, curling around the lyra hoop like her body had forgotten to adhere to the rules of normal human limitations. If you’ve always wished you could have brunch with your therapist, and perhaps that your therapist did slightly more body hypnosis therapy (Look into my LINES, they’d say, turning into a spiral) I’d say this is a pretty good substitute. Do you have any idea how good it feels to freely chow down on brunch while watching someone doing the ab equivalent of a marathon??? Given that Jazida’s brand new solo show Exotic Hynotica comes out FEB (CHECK DATES) I find myself SUSPICIOUS of this act. So suspicious I must watch the recording on repeat.
RED QUEEN
The Red queen famously claimed “It is better to be feared than loved”, but Rebelle’s Red queen never has to choose. Dripping in rhinestoned red, we were gasping at the beauty, long limbs and curves like the stripes of danger on a snake - and then gasping at her effortless recline on a BED OF NAILS. Rebelle’s red queen was so natural I found myself side-eyeing her backstage later. Was she going to shank us with a hair pin? Drink our blood? And would I say “Thankyou” or “Thanks your highness” when she did? I have survived but I do feel like a little bitch any time I sit on a normal chair now.
To wrap the festivities, a Very Merry Unbirthday was had with surprises for each guest and sadly, I had to leave the brilliantly lit and sound-scaped Hub (shoutout to Cherry Bomb who never misses the perfect sound effect).
The whole team at Flazeda Hub is glorious and a testament to owner Jazida’s efforts to create a creative hub that invites everyone to be their most decadent, debaucherous self.
If that sounds good to you - Burlesque Brunch is returning on Sunday the 23rd of January - with a Rocky Horror theme.
Tickets are available now on the Flazeda Hub webstore, so make sure you get your mates together for next-level daytime debauchery.
*Not an official slogan, but I am campaigning every day.
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New Man Part 3 // Rolling in the Deep (Biadore) - Fucking Awful.
A/N: Back with Part 3 of the New Man saga! Another 3500 words of Biadore angst that I swear is going to get happy in a chapter or so. I think there will be 5 chapters, maybe a 6th. Few things:
First, funny story: “Fucking Awful” was actually supposed to be the name of Chapter 2, but because I’m a dumbass and don’t understand the naming conventions it ended up as my author name. AND I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT IT because you know what, I am fucking awful.
Second: This is back in Danny’s POV. I like switching back and forth, but I feel I get Danny (or the version of him that lives in my trash brain) a little better. There are few train of thought moments, designated by italics.
Third: Back to song inspiration, this time from a different British redhead – the goddess Adele, and “Rolling in the Deep.“ (Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw) No one is singing, its just a soundtrack to what happens here. Lyrics are in italics AND indented.
Fourth: Let me know if these are too long and wordy. It’s something I get critiqued on professionally, so I’m keen to reel in unnecessary words in my creative/for fun writing.
Alright that’s it, hope you enjoy this! XOXO Fucking Awful
“Oh shut UP!” Danny yelled at no one in particular, grasping blindly for his phone to shut off the alarm. “Fuck! Shit! Balls!” He finally managed to quiet the Marimba. 10:12am. An hour and 33 minutes until Johnny would be there to pick him up. Just enough time for a run – Danny was into fitness now – and a shower before brunch with his friends and…oh God.
Danny remembered he had to see Roy today, and out came a full body groan. He had spent the last 2 weeks telling his crew how excited he was for them to meet Roy – his Willow and his best friend, not just that guy from TV. But now everything was so utterly fucked, and after last night he could barely look at Roy let alone fawn over him at a bottomless brunch. Dragging himself out of bed and into workout clothes, Danny mentally prepared for what was coming.
Roy is cheating on his boyfriend. Roy is trying to cheat on his boyfriend with you. You basically told him to fuck off and that you don’t want to know him anymore. Now you are going to spend the whole day with him. Party.
He was now fully awake, partially from the blast of cold Seattle air but mostly from seething anger. What in the fuck did Roy think he was doing? The Haylock he knew wasn’t a cheater, he wasn’t even into open relationships. Moreover, he knew infidelity was the ultimate sore spot for Danny.
They’d talked about this a million times, and Danny had probably cried about it a million more. Adore’s free love persona had made a lot of guys think they could take advantage of Danny, both cheating on him and using him as an instrument of their own cheating. Every time it crushed Danny, made him feel worthless. A committed relationship is a committed relationship, and stepping out on a partner is the ultimate sign of betrayal and disrespect. Fuck that guy (Kyle? Tyler? Who cares.) that Roy was dating, but he still didn’t deserve to be cheated on.
And Danny didn’t deserve to be treated like a whore. That Roy thought Danny would be ok with being the Other Man was what hurt and angered him the most. Danny could feel his heart racing as he stretched. He had to calm down and play this afternoon all flazeda, so his friends wouldn’t ask questions. He knew they saw Roy making out with the stranger, something they were sure to ask about, but there’s no way they saw the 7 seconds in Heaven outside. If Danny could just act normally, he could help Roy deflect uncomfortable quest –
“Oh fuck THAT!” Again, to no one in particular. He knew what he was listening to for the next five miles, on a loop…
There’s a fire starting in my heart
Reaching a fever pitch, and it’s bringing me out the dark
—
An hour and a half later, Danny was showered and getting ready – still blasting “Rolling in the Deep” on repeat.
Finally I can see you crystal clear
Go ‘head and sell me out, and I’ll lay your shit bare
The “chill” plan was no more. Some combination of Adele and adrenaline transformed hurt and disappointed Danny into a pissed off, vengeful queen. He was rocking an all-black look to brunch – hair tied back under a beanie, long sweater and t-shirt, jeans and Docs – but he painted on some red eye shadow for a little extra fire.
In the years he had known Roy, Danny had never been really and truly mad at him. Annoyed or frustrated, sure, but never angry. So this full-body heartburn of rage that was coursing through his veins and shooting out his fingertips was strange to say the lest.
See how I leave with every piece of you
Don’t under estimate the things that I will do
“If you’re going to listen to music about a woman scorned, shouldn’t you at least play Lemonade?” Johnny let himself into the apartment, sneaking past Danny who was too wrapped up in belting along with the track.
“Beyoncé may be the queen, but Adele is still good shit.” Danny didn’t even glance up, finishing the smoky rust around his lids. “Plus this track fucking goes.” He turned up the stereo louder with one hand, swiping on mascara with the other.
Johnny reached over to stop the music. “Speaking of going, we have to. Jinkx is picking up Roy” – Danny flinched imperceptibly - “and everyone else is already there. If we don’t leave now we’re gonna be…Oh, I’m sorry. Is heroin chic a daytime look now?” Johnny raised an eyebrow.
Danny smirked and chucked his mascara at his cousin. “Fuck all the way off, let’s go.”
—
Baby I have no story to be told
But I’ve heard one on you and I’m gonna make your head burn
Much to Johnny’s chagrin, the Adele fest continued in the car. The full 20-minute drive was spent listening to the thumping kick-drum and haunting chorus, Danny swatting his hand away anytime he tried to switch the music.
“Dude, c’mon. This is the eighth time; can we please listen to literally anything else?”
“No. I need to feel…empowered.” Danny didn’t want to elaborate.
“Empowered to do what? Look, I know some weird stuff happened last night – great job making it awkward, by the way, don’t think we didn’t all notice – but can we please not make a scene today? I have people to impress.”
Danny knew that Johnny was trying to date one of his new friends, and he was fully in support of his cousin getting it in. “It wasn’t me who – I didn’t – ok.” Instead of turning it off, Danny reached over and cranked the music louder.
Think of me in the depths of your despair
Make a home down there, ‘cause mine sure won’t be shared
If he wasn’t going to say anything to Roy, at least he could feel the revenge fantasy for the rest of the drive.
–
The table of 15 was taking up the back patio of a little hipster spot in Capitol Hill. Johnny had almost immediately broken off to make romantical moves, so Danny settled into the open seat opposite Roy and Jinkx.
“Hey Danny! Doesn’t someone look nice today!” Jinkx had a smile plastered on his face, while Roy sat next to him looking more than a little sullen.
Danny reminded himself to keep it together, for Johnny’s sake. “Thanks! Felt pretty chill when I woke up this morning, but it wouldn’t be me without something a little ratchet.” Good, normal conversation.
“Well jeez, way to assume he was talking about you queen.” The words flew out of Roy’s mouth so fast, he almost looked like he was surprised he said them out loud. Danny reacted sharply, brow furrowed and lip curled as he shook his head ever so slightly.
“I was, of course I was!” Danny heard a muffled THUD under the table, and saw Roy flinch. “I love it. Seattle looks good on ya, kid. Doesn’t it, Roy?” Danny thought it was strange that Jinkx was speaking to Roy like he was scolding a toddler.
“Of course, I’m kidding.” More strangeness, Roy sounded almost sheepish. “You look great. You always look great.”
We could’ve had it all
Rolling in the Deep
As angry as he was, Danny couldn’t help smile at the complement. How did Roy continue to have this effect on him?
You held my heart inside your hand
And you played it to the beat
“Yeah well, adopting the finer points of your clown makeup has its perks. Color can be a good thing.” Roy smiled a bit at that, melting Danny like ice in the desert.
What the fuck are you doing? Remember how you feel!
Danny snapped out of it. “I’m fucking starving, what are you guys getting? Jesus, what food could we even fit here? There’s no space.” He made a show of feeling cramped, and hollered across the table. “Katie, can we try to –“
“Well hey there bitches, room for one more?”
Danny whipped around, as if he needed to see who it was to know the voice. Entrance sisters are forever, after all.
“Not for you, you sneaky little shit! You’re back early!” He jumped out of his seat to hug DeLa, who wasn’t supposed to be back from Australia for another three days. God, Danny was happy to see Ben.
“Yeah well, for a penal colony the Land Down Under is surprisingly low on eligible dick. I think I’ve made my way through the entirety of New South Wales at this point.” DeLa waved to the rest of the table before making his way over to Jinkx and Roy.
“Did you borrow my sailboat to get back here, you twat? Come ‘ere.” Roy stood up to hug the queen, too. Danny was surprised how happy Roy was to see Dela, they were friends but he didn’t know they were that close.
“No grandma, we have planes now. I left the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria safely in your boat house,” Ben quipped back as he went to hug Jinkx.
“Not bad, fruit fly. Not bad.” Roy sat down and Dela rounded the table back to Danny, who had made space for him.
“So, catch me up. How’s it going?” For half a second, Danny swore he saw Ben look meaningfully at Roy and then Jinkx. “Isn’t this just a great little reunion –” THUD. There was that muffled sound again, but this time it was Ben flinching.
“Sorry guys, I know it’s cramped and we keep hitting each other.” Danny apologized.
“It’s fine Danny, really. Everyone just needs to be a little more careful.” Jinkx smiled tightly. Now the pointed looks were coming from him, Danny was sure he saw it.
What’s going on? Why are they being weird?
Oh well, nothing a few Bloody Marias won’t fix.
—
An hour later the whole table was on the spectrum of tipsy to trashed, with the notable exception of the stone cold sober Roy. Danny’s sense of weirdness was replaced with the warm buzz of micheladas, tequila and good friends. There’s a reason the Lord blessed us with bottomless brunches on the Sabbath. Listening to the laughter and seeing the connection between friends new and old, Danny started to think maybe he could be chill.
Their food plates had barely hit the table when that image shattered, again. Poor Dela, he knows not what he does.
One of Danny’s new girlfriends, Sam, was telling him and Ben about her upcoming couple’s vacation. “So yeah, 5 days in Cabo to celebrate our anniversary, or month-iversary I guess. 5 days alone – I think I love that woman, but pray for me.” Sam took a drink.
“Damn, Sam. I didn’t realize you and Charlotte had been together for two months already. That’s rad.” Danny liked Sam a lot, and was glad to see her happy.
“Two months, that’s a big one.” Ben paused for a beat before winding around to face Roy and Jinkx, who were shouting across the table at Johnny and his new ‘friend.’
“That’s about the time you figure out if a relationship is going to work,” Ben continued. Another pause, and there was that damn pointed look at Roy again. Jesus, was he drunk already?
“Speaking of which – Roy, you’ve been with Sky for about 2 months now. How’s that going?”
Ben shouted the question loud enough to disrupt Roy’s conversation, which had the unfortunate effect of getting the whole table’s attention. The whole table who had been at the bar last night and witnessed Roy’s and Danny’s little display. Silence washed over them like goddamn Hurricane Katrina, leaving Dela very clearly confused if only for a second.
Danny immediately saw red. It wasn’t just the eye shadow creeping into his corneas, or the deep scarlet brunch cocktails – he was pissed. “Yeah Roy, how is Sky?” Danny asked, nearly shouting. He could feel the anger building.
You’re gonna wish you
Never had met me
“Why didn’t you bring him with you? Didn’t think he would have fun?” The power of angry Adele was rising in his chest.
Tears are gonna fall
Rollin’ in the deep
“I mean, what about this trip wouldn’t be fun for him? Jinkx has never met him. Dela hasn’t met him. In fact, neither have I. Wouldn’t he want to meet your sisters? Your best friend? Why wouldn’t he want to meet me, Roy?”
Johnny interjected. “I’m sure he was busy. Danny why don’t you switch over to water?” God bless him, like any good cousin was trying to stop the train of destruction. Danny was too far down this hill to pull back.
“Nah, I’m good man. Tell me, why didn’t he come here?” He focused all his attention, staring at Roy with enough intensity to clear his blurring vision while burning a hole in eyes of the man looking back at him.
Now it was Jinkx’s turn to try. “Danny, drop it. You’re yelling.”
“No I’m not. And you’re not my mom, Jinkx. I just want an answer to my question.” Danny never took his eyes off Roy, who’s body seemed to wilt while his eyes stayed locked.
“I didn’t mean to cause a problem guys, I –“ Dela looked totally panicked.
Fire. Heart. Fever. Scars. Breathless. Tears.
The combination of hurt, alcohol and electricity clashed like lightning, and Danny couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Is it because you came here to cheat on him, Roy? You told him you were coming to visit your friends, but really you just came here to fuck some other guys and hope he wouldn’t find out?”
If he wasn’t yelling before, Danny sure was now.
“You think that’s who I am, that I don’t care about other people’s feelings and that I’ll help you hurt them? You think I would be a part of that, that after all these years of pining for you I’d be so goddamn happy for your scraps of attention that I’d do it? That I’d let you jam your tongue down my throat in back alleys and fuck me in secret like your side piece?”
Well, so much for keeping that kiss a secret, Danny thought as he caught his breath. Might as well bring it home.
“You’re a shitty person, Roy. You’re a bad, mean, hateful person. You don’t care if you hurt people, do you? I never saw it before, but that you would do this to your boyfriend – to me…”
Shit, shit. Don’t cry. Do. Not. Cry. Danny couldn’t understand why Roy, who had never been at a lack of words for a moment in his life, was just sitting there silently while he railed on. The indomitable Bianca del Rio just sat there staring, and increasingly – he thought, maybe – like he was actually biting his tongue.
“You don’t have anything to say? You can’t even defend yourself because you know it’s true. I don’t know if you’ve always been like this, if something changed, or what the fuck is going on.” Danny paused, starting to feel self conscious about the volume of his voice and the lack of chiming in from any of his friends.
“Jesus, Roy. I thought Bianca was an act but the real you is so much worse. I would say I hope Sky’s off fucking someone else too, so you know what it feels like, but you’d have to be a human with emotions to get it. You’re just a heartless evil cunt.” And with that, Danny was out of steam.
—
The next seconds crawled slowly and quietly enough to hear a pin drop. Danny knew this for a fact, because he literally heard the waitress drop her pen at molasses speed. Then the world slammed back into focus, with the same jarring effect as an astronaut getting ejected into space in a Star Trek movie.
Danny felt all eyes on him – 26 silent, unblinking eyes. The only person not still basking in his impassioned speech was Roy himself, who had finally broken the stare; his eyes were closed, maybe even squeezed together, while he rested his forehead on wringing hands. Danny had never seen this body language before, which was strange because Roy was a true creature of habit.
Feeling totally exposed – a feeling he wasn’t totally in love with at the moment – but still high on righteous indignation, Danny violently stood up to leave. He threw his credit card down on the table and walked towards the exit, speechless as a silent movie…until he heard a mumble.
“What did you say to me?” Danny turned on his heel, sure he heard Roy say something under his breath. He was ready to fight.
“I said he did, Delano. Sky did. He cheated on me. I walked in on him fucking someone. Two weeks ago.”
Danny didn’t go to school for fucking math, but something was clicking. Two weeks ago, cheating, no more Sky…damn the tequila fog.
“You guys have something in common after all – he said I was too cold to fall in love with. Didn’t think I would even care, I can’t feel anything anyway.” Roy wouldn’t look up as he spoke, his voice was calm and controlled. That was really freaking Danny out – this was his somber voice, the same one he used in the days after Danny’s dad died.
What’s going on? Danny was starting to wonder if he’d miscalculated something here. Fucking continuation school.
“You should be happy, turns out you already got what you want. I got cheated on, Danny.” Roy paused and finally looked up.
In one fell swoop, Danny realized he was so very wrong. The eyes Roy had been hiding were as red as his own, but colored instead by broken blood vessels and tears. Danny realized why he didn’t recognize the body language – he’d never seen Roy cry before.
“Happy, even if you’re wrong. I promise you I feel it.”
In that moment Roy’s voice wavered ever so slightly, and Danny felt his whole body come undone. He had to sit back in his chair to keep from falling over, seeing Roy like this turned him to actual human Jell-O.
Fuck. Fuck. Fucking fuck. Fuck. Danny’s mind raced, trying to figure out what to do. How he could fix this.
“I think I should go,” Roy said to Jinkx, who started to move in response. His voice was back to the unnerving calm. “No, stay. I’ll get an Uber, you guys have fun. Let me know how much I owe you.” Roy stood up. “Everyone, it was a pleasure to meet you in the daylight. Glad to know my friends are so well taken care of in Seattle.”
No no no, don’t leave. What is happening? What are you doing? Danny was screaming internally, but he couldn’t figure out what words to say or at this point how to even make sounds come out of his mouth.
“Bye, Danny.”
Roy said those two words with such a tenderness and finality, Danny started to panic. He needed to do something but he was immobilized, his brain fried by his earlier surge of emotion and the overload of new information.
The scars of your love, they leave me breathless
I can’t help feeling we could’ve had it all
And just like that Roy was gone.
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